Approximately twenty million people in the United States have been diagnosed with Sleep Apnea. Sleep Apnea is an over-relaxation of the soft tissue in the back of the throat that causes a cessation of breathing during sleep states. The breathing cessation can cause a lack of oxygen that results in drowsiness and sleep disorders during waking hours.
One treatment for Sleep Apnea is a continuous positive airway pressure (“CPAP”) machine, which provides a continuous flow of air through the nostrils via a mask. The flow of air works to maintain an open airway. Sleep Apnea sufferers must wear the mask for the entire night. One common component of a CPAP machine is a humidifier. Prior to applying the flow of air to the patient, the air is passed through the humidifier to add moisture to the air, thus helping to prevent the patient's nasal passages from drying out.
One disadvantage of existing CPAP machines is that the moist air that is provided to the patient is often stale or even has an unpleasant smell or taste. A further disadvantage is that the existing machines provide nothing more than moist air to the patient.
There is a need in the art for a CPAP machine that provides a pleasant tasting or smelling flow of air to the patient. There is a further need for a CPAP machine that is capable of providing more than just moist air.